Tag Archives: Runes

Old Man Finds a Wanderer: Part 2 Hella

Posted by joejoe on February 24, 2019 No comments

This is part two of Old Man Finds A Wanderer:

Hagalaz tattoo: Gothi got this rune because they developed a closeness to Hella. Hagalaz is very much Hella’s rune. It was not until after Gothi got the tattoo that they noticed. All of the tattoos happened organically. Gothi is inspired and then follows inspiration. Gothi noticed a theme had developed. “On the right I had Tiwaz. Tyr is a model Aesir. If you would ask who embodies the Aesir it would be Tyr, though Odin would transcend all of that. Which is the same side as my Thor’s hammer.” The Hagalaz tattoo is on their left.

Hella tattoo: Shortly after getting the Hagalaz, Gothi got the Hella tattoo, because the bond kept getting closer. Hella is holding the Ear position.

Bind Rune tattoo: The Ear rune at the top means the grave. Gothi does not really mess with the Anglo-Saxon runes but in this case it was imperative. It was the first tattoo that was not Gothi’s idea. Gothi was told to do this by the gods, so they did. This one is the Hell road.

Bind Rune tattoo: This is the balancing rune to the rune above. This tattoo was also an imperative. Gothi was told by the gods to create this. Gothi did contribute to this tattoo’s creation.

Gothi is not really sure what the bind runes are for. Gothi just knows they are imperative.

No Huginn

Posted by joejoe on February 17, 2019 No comments

Bind Rune Tombstone tattoo: Esquirel was in basic training in 2006. Esquirel’s partner sent them a book on runes. As Esquirel was going through they read about bind runes. Esquirel decided they needed a bind rune. That night this popped up. The rune picked Esquirel.

Muninn tattoo: Esquirel got a raven on their back. Esquirel’s partner added a bit of flair to it. Esquirel went to a tattoo artist and got it done.

Gungnir Odin’s Spear tattoo: The tattoo is of Gungnir, Odin’s spear. It is surrounded by Geri and Freki, Odins’s two wolves. In the middle is has Sly Fox written in old Norse. Esquirel’s partner doctored it up to make it look a little cooler and got it done.

Ratatoskr tattoo: Ratatoskr is the squirrel that runes up and down the world tree talking smack to the eagle at the top, and the dragon at the bottom. People have been calling Esquirel squirrel for the last 20 years. Esquirel had to have a squirrel tattoo. Esquirel put the world tree bind rune in the tattoo as well.

Painful Friendships

Posted by joejoe on December 16, 2018 No comments

Rose tattoo. This was Kunórodon’s first tattoo. It started as a small rose with a butterfly at the top. It was just some crap they pulled off the wall. Kunórodon was like “I am going to do this.” Kunórodon was terrified of needles. Kunórodon’s ex was holding their hand during the process. Kunórodon remembers it feeling like somebody hit the mute button. Kunórodon’s ex was talking to them, but they could not hear their ex speak. Then it hit Kunórodon and they were like “stop I don’t know what is going on.” The artist was very nonchalant. The artist tapped them and said, “it’s ok, it’s just your body going into shock.” Kunórodon then threw up.

Under the single rose is a tattoo that once said, “JACS.” It stood for 4 friend’s names. They went to high school together, and went through their early 20’s together. Then, they had a falling out. The color for the tattoo also started to fall out. Kunórodon felt they wanted to expand and change the tattoo. Kunórodon did four roses with lots of thorns to represent the beauty and the pain that comes with friendship.

Rose tattoo. This started as a rose from a t-shirt a friend had purchased for them when Kunórodon was 14. Kunórodon was broke, and their parents would not have anything to do with them. Kunórodon had no clothes so a friend bought them a shirt with this rose on it. The tattoo used to have her son’s name in it. They decided it was inappropriate to have son’s name in that location on their body and so they got the name covered up.

Domino tattoo. Kunórodon and their ex got this matching tattoo on their 5th anniversary. The pieces add up to 5.

Never Broken tattoo. Their marriage dissolved a year later. Kunórodon got into an abusive relationship. Kunórodon’s partner ended up trying to kill them. Kunórodon moved in with their brother. He gave Kunórodon money to get a tattoo. Kunórodon got a tattoo that said “never broken” because all though this person tried their best. Kunórodon is still a very strong spirit.The tattoo is on Kunórodon’s wrist. 1 Year and 11 months after getting it, Kunórodon broke their wrist.

Wesley spelled out in Norse Runes. Wesley is Kunórodon’s son’s name. Kunórodon got this one and the cover up of his name in the rose concurrently.

Deathly Hollows Tattoo. It is a Harry Potter tattoo and it represents The Deadly Hollows. Kunórodon loves the series. Kunórodon loves what the symbol represents: Equality and Acceptance. It means a lot to Kunórodon.

Daisy tattoo. This tattoo is a work in progress. It did not heal properly. Kunórodon had a really close friend out in Colorado Springs who was a third generation Mexican. Very big into motorcycles. He was a phenomenal person. Earlier this year he was struck while on his motorcycle. He was pinned under the vehicle for 5 hours before he passed away. Kunórodon got the phone call 2 a.m. Kunórodon called a friend over who is a witch. She is an angel of death, an EMS person who helps people pass on. She has that connectivity, that energy. Kunórodon told her what was going on that she had to come and light the fire. She comes we do a blessing over the fire. Within 10 minutes of her being present, he shows himself. He is in the form of the “happy now cry later” mask. He was floating in front of her taunting her in his playful loving manor, trying to get a rise out of her. He did not even know Kunórodon was there yet. Kunórodon started chuckling saying hey he is present. At that point he lifts the mask and his energy shifted towards Kunórodon. He sees Kunórodon’s sorrow, and presents himself in the form of a daisy with bright yellow colors. He said, “you have blow me away, you have to say goodbye. With every exhale you will blow your sorrow away.” Kunórodon did it and it took two breaths. Kunórodon watched the petals float away in the wind. The tattoo of the daisy is Kunórodon’s memory of him, and they are going to carry that with them forever.

Infinity tattoo. This is a shared tattoo with two other friends. It means friends forever. We each picked a different area on were to have it tattooed. Kunórodon thought it would be a simple one line infinity. Kunórodon was the last one to get the tattoo. Kunórodon was also the worst one to get the tattoo. Where Kunórodon got the tattoo has a lot of nerves for them. It was incredibly uncomfortable. My partner at the time had to sit on me. At one point Kunórodon’s body was reacting so severely. The artist had to stop because he was laughing so hard. This was due to the fact that Kunórodon’s toes had cramped up so bad they were throwing up West Side gang signs. The ink fell out on quite a few spots so Kunórodon had to go back and get it touched up. The original artist was not present his friend was. The new artist did not know what he was doing. That is why there is a crazy gray line around the whole thing. What makes it funny is Kunórodon’s friend had to lay on Kunórodon this time. Kunórodon’s friend was laying on them so hard they thought they were going to bruise them.

Love Endorse Norse Runes Tattoo. Myrmidon’s partner has the same tattoo. The tattoos spells out “love endorse” using the Elder Furthark. It was found from a pendant. The pendant was found in ancient times with a couple embracing. They wanted it because it symbolizes the trials and tribulations from their past relationships. They both look forward to having love in their lives. Its a good mantra to have for any married couple. Love endorse no matter what your doing.

Myrmidon’s True North

Posted by joejoe on December 9, 2018 No comments

Cross Of Lorraine tattoo. A symbol Myrmidon used for the last military unit they were in. Myrmidon was in special forces as a warrant officer. Myrmidon’s unit was in the ground invasion and also carried on missions in Iraq. Myrmidon’s unit wanted an emblem to rally behind. The symbol is called the “Cross Of Lorraine” and it has a skill on top. This was Myrmidon’s first tattoo.

Ægishjálmrm (Helm of Awe) and Norse Compass Tattoos. The Helm of Awe is the protection against evil. The other is a compass, some say to true north. It will help point you to the true way you need to go.

Valknut Tattoo. This is for Odin’s Slain.

Trojan Horse tattoo. This is the tattoo for the unit Myrmidon was in for the majority of their military career: Tenth Special Forces Group. The Trojan Horse was their symbol. The green background denotes the special forces, and each group has a different color background.

Love Endorse Norse Runes tattoo. Myrmidon’s partner has the same tattoo. The tattoos spells out Love Endures using the Elder Furthark. It was found from a pendant. The pendant was found in ancient times with a couple embracing. They wanted it because it symbolizes the trials and tribulations from their past relationships. They both look forward to having true love in their lives. It’s a good mantra to have for any married couple. Love Endures, no matter what else happens in your lives.

All of the Colors in a Story

Posted by joejoe on December 2, 2018 No comments

Story tattoo. The dots on the far right are an asteroid belt doing down, then in the middle the asteroid belt is going up. This is spinning around a gas giant (purple planet).

Some asteroids are lonely and far apart from others. Some are closer and feel good. Each of them are effected by the rotational effect of the gas giant, which has the gas clouds.

The tree is clean. It has all the basic elements of life. It is a basic class-M planet.

The far left is a star in 3 parts. The heavier material is hotter and a darker color. This could also be like the Mayan calendar with three wheels spinning within each other.

In the tattoo are the 3 basic requirements of a solar system from an article Bao read: a star, a gas giant that swoops up all that is ejected in the early life of the solar system. The gas giant creates a force field between the star allowing the class-M planet to be created. Then all the heavy material condenses into a class-M planet.

Bao wanted each color of the rainbow in the tattoo.

Bao got the tattoo in 2009. Bao was near the end of their master’s degree at Chapel Hill. Bao drew this tattoo one morning, and decided they wanted to tell stories. Bao thought, “If I got a tattoo of that and didn’t publish a novel where magic users live and are heroic on this planet, then I would be saddled with a dumb tattoo.” It’s been 9 years, and Bao has written 3 novels, and deleted 3 hundred-thousand word novels back into the oblivion. When Bao throws away a rejected novel, new “novel” thoughts come to them. Now Bao is writing a series of 24 tiny tales based on the runes of the Futhark. Bao is hoping that the tales will stick. The novel Bao meant to write when they created this tattoo has not stuck. It’s a garden path and it’s going to take many left and right turns…

Old Man Finds a Wanderer

Posted by joejoe on November 25, 2018 No comments

Uruz Tattoo

Ansuz Tattoo

Eihwaz Tattoo

Gothi was in the army until almost age 30 without any tattoos. Gothi was in the infantry as a combat arms MOS. Their job was to kill people and blow shit up. Not having a tattoo is rare in this group. Gothi resisted getting one for a long time, because there wasn’t a good reason. Gothi knew many people that were inked for reasons with no real meaning behind it, and some just because they liked the idea of having a tattoo. Gothi did not want to be that guy. Then, one day, Gothi started looking into the runes. Gothi had been involved in esoteric/mystic stuff as a teenager. For some reason after 8 years of being spiritually dead in the water in the army, the runes spiked Gothi’s interest. Gothi decided to get some runes tattoos.

Gothi settled on the runes Uruz, Ansuz, and Eihwaz. For Gothi, these stand for body, mind, and soul. Gothi admits this is kind of simplistic. Uruz for the body, Ansuz for mind, and Eiwaz for soul. Gothi ended up getting them tattooed from a kid in the barracks, because it was a cheap and simple design. After Gothi got these done, they did feel different. Gothi says, “everything I read said the runes work by themselves. The runes have power on their own without your involvement.”

Gothi went to airborne school because they got into special operations. Gothi was moving into a whole new mindset. One of the requirements was Gothi had to go to jump school. During this time, Gothi was reading about the runes. Gothi said “In order to understand the runes you should understand Norse mythology. You have understand the Norse gods because they are linked with the runes. The best way to find that knowledge is from modern practitioners.” Gothi figured there was a wiccan coven somewhere that was dedicated to the Norse. Gothi stumbled across Asatru, Steve McNallen, the AFA, and Edward Thorsson. Gothi read about the whole spectrum of politics. That is all Gothi did during airborne school. Gothi did airborne school during the day and read about Asatru in the evening. The idea of connecting to Gothi’s ancestors became a primary concern. This connected everything Gothi cared about: spirituality, toxic masculinity, war, and being better then the other guy. Killing the enemy and drinking their blood. There was a way to fit all of that in Asatru. It fit there. It was not a bastardized version of hermetic or Christianity where Gothi was supposed to turn the other cheek. There was a purpose behind it all and it all came together. The idea stuck. Gothi started meditating everyday at airborne school. Gothi would wake up 2 hours early before anything else to mediate and think about the gods.

Ægishjálmr (Helm of Awe) Tattoo

Vegvisir (Norse Compass) Tattoo

Ægishjálmr (Helm of Awe) and Vegvisir (Norse compass) tattoos. Gothi got these tattoos because they wanted the effects. Gothi believed in the power of the runes. Even without a deep understand of what the runes meant. “I have it a little better now, but at the time I did not.” Gothi had accepted the idea the runes would work even without fully understanding them. Gothi stated “I did not have to power them. The power was inherent.” Once again, after getting the tattoos, Gothi felt different. Things changed. Gothi came home and within 3 days of me being stationed at home, Gothi started meditation again regularly. Gothi then reached out to Odin. Gothi always had a feeling if they called out to one of the Pagan gods they would answer, unlike the desert god, who is to big and ephemeral to deal with petty human concerns. When Gothi called to Odin there was a presence, and Gothi was not alone. It was real and Gothi was scared. What if Gothi had fucked up what if this is not the old man, Gothi had no way of checking ID. After a bunch of thinking and soul searching, and reaching out, Gothi determined they had in fact gotten the attention of the old man. Everything changed after that. Gothi accepted the presence that was there waiting everyday. Gothi felt a power they had never experienced before.

Valknut Tattoo

Shortly afterward, Gothi got the Valknut tattoo with the rune ring. Once again they felt different.

Thor’s Hammer with Ravens Tattoo

Thor’s hammer with ravens tattoo. A year later, Gothi move to North Carolina. Gothi’s buddy’s wife was giving tattoos in exchange for donations. Gothi got a Thor hammer with two ravens. It is the least spiritual tattoo they have.

Web Of Wyrd Tattoo

Web Of Wyrd tattoos: About a year after that, Gothi entered the seiðr trance. Gothi found out they were going to be a seiðr whether they liked it or not. Gothi placed their hands in the Web of Wyrd. Gothi knew what they were doing and what was happening. Gothi commemorated this with the Web Of Wyrd tattoos on each of their wrists. Both as a reminder of what they had done, and as a focus for when they do it again.

Gungnir with Hagalz, Othila, and Mannaz Tattoo

Gungnir with Hagalaz, Othila, and Mannaz tattoo. With in a week Gothi felt they were marked. Gothi said they were hanging by the tree. Gothi felt they had been marked by the spear and would never again be the same. This started without Gothi’s choice. Gothi does not always like it, it was scary. Gothi got this tattoo with Hagalaz, Othila, and Mannaz. Hagalaz was to commemorate the death of what Gothi was. Mannaz was to point out what Gothi is going to become. Othila was for the path Gothi is going to take to get there, inline with their ancestors.

Teiwaz Tattoo

Teiwaz tattoo. Shortly after that during Gothi’s daily mediation, Gothi experienced the seiðr trance for the first time with none of the usual preparation it takes to get there. It has not happened like that may times, as it normally take effort and intention. Gothi was shown a lot of things. Gothi was offered a choice. When Gothi was offered this choice they took an oath. The oath was very heavy, and had very significant consequences. In order to commemorate the oath and to remind themselves of what it is they agreed to, Gothi got the Tyr rune tattoo. This if for Githi to remember what they agreed to and to draw power from that agreement.

Ansuz – the fourth rune

Posted by joejoe on August 21, 2018 No comments

Ansuz is the fourth rune in Elder Furthark. Phonetically, it means, “A.” Ansuz literally means god or chieftain. It is in the first Aett, which is Freyja’s Aett. It is in the shape of an “F” pointed down. It can also look like a tree with branches hanging down. It is said to be connected to Odin. I have seen a couple of places that connect this rune to Loki. Its element is air.

The Norwegian Poem is:
River mouth is the way of most journeys,
but a scabbard of swords.

I am having a hard time finding stories about this rune where it stands for anything else besides Odin, but I feel a strong Loki connection.

Some of the meanings of Ansuz include:
The breath that comes when you speak
Singing wise songs
Seeking wisdom to the point of madness
Being heard
Knowledge
Wisdom
Speech
The power of magic
The ability to communicate
Thought

09/22 Update:
Ansuz. I had to take this one off more the the others. Ansuz may be where the word answer comes from. One of my favorite martial arts thoughts is where there is a hole there is always a weakness. When you focus through Ansuz it will not guide you, more it will allow you find AN answer. There are stories where Odin and Loki are blood brothers. In the stories also Loki is movement to change. Odin is the wisdom behind these changes. Be careful what you wish/ask for.

Thurisaz the Third Rune

Posted by joejoe on July 21, 2018 No comments

Thurisaz is the third rune in the Elder Futhark. Thurisaz phonetically is, “Th.” Its literal meaning is “giant.” Its elements are air and fire. It’s in the first Aett, which is Freyja’s Aett. Its shape is a Thor’s hammer protecting us from the giants. I really like the quote from runesecrets, “Thurisaz represents the warrior that combines consciousness and wisdom with matters requiring force.”

Old Norwegian Poem:
Thurs (“Giant”) causes anguish to women,
misfortune makes few men cheerful.

Old Icelandic:
Thurs (“Giant”) is torture of women and cliff-dweller
and husband of a giantess Saturn’s thegn.

Anglo-Saxon:
The thorn is exceedingly sharp,
an evil thing for any thegn to touch,
uncommonly severe on all who sit among them.

Right now, I am not sure how these poems connect to Thurisaz. I may figure it out by the end of the month.

Here are some of the meanings of this rune in divination:

Take wild strength and focus.
Will Power
Tool
Hard Work
Element of Danger
Hard Work pays off
It is normally a good sign in a read.
It is not a good sign in a relationship question.

Aug 19 2018: Update

Thurisaz was so far the most fun rune. It has a dedicated energy of focus. You can lose everything around you.

Personal Note: I do not really connect to Thor. I did get a connection to Vidar during this month of the Thurisaz. This may be a couple of reasons. Vidar’s the son of Odin and the jotunn Grider. Thurisaz means giant so it connects with this. I could also see the symbol as Vidar standing up in Fenrir’s mouth. Vidar is also the god of leather work, which requires the dedicated focus. This is of course my opinion. I am sure someone will tell me that it must only connect to Thor, and I doing it wrong.

Uruz the Second Rune

Posted by joejoe on June 16, 2018 No comments

Uruz is the second rune in the Elder Futhark. Uruz is phonetically, “U.” It comes from the Aurochs. Its direct meaning is “Wild Ox.” It’s in the first aett which is Freyja’s. Uruz is connected to Frejya. Many connect the meaning to strength, which then attempts to connection to Thor. I have also seen where it is connected to Urd,the norn of the past. Its element is earth.

The Norwegian poem is:
Dross comes from bad iron;
the reindeer often races over the frozen snow.

It appears the word “dross” may mean water. This would connect this statement to rust. I would see the reindeer running as a primal force. This would connect this poem to undirected energy, may end with bad results.

Uruz is connected to Fehu. Fehu would be considered tamed cattle, Uruz is the wild oxen. Aswynn states Uruz is “the unconscious drive for manifestation.”

It is the rune of independence, and asserting oneself and one’s territory. Uruz is that internal force that decides to do something. It may be the energy without a plan, which may be its connection to Urd.

Some of the meaning for Uruz:
Wild unconstrained strength
Good Health
Beast
Undirected
Strength you have or need
Strength
More Instinct then Mental
potential strength or danger
persistence, durability and adaptability
Passion for what you are doing
Health recovered.

6/26/2018: Update.
I need to add some addition connections I have made to the rune. This is the rune of just pure energy. Its the weed that grows in the concrete. It cracks through with the will to live. It is also the rune of the wheel, if you dont monitor it. It will break and keep pushing. It with without a path. I am kind of connecting it to the Terminator: It does not stop. It is through will alone you aid in directing its path.

If combined it is a powerful ally. If for instance you combine Fehu and Uruz. You get more directed plan. You will need to make sure to stop before it becomes to much.

That being said if you need to break through a wall. Get an Uruz. If you need to heal helps with that also. Just remember to stop a little before you are done so you dont fall off the edge.

Fehu The First Rune

Posted by joejoe on May 18, 2018 No comments

The first rune of the Elder Futhark, Fehu, is phonetically “F.” Fehu is connected to Freya. Its direct meaning is the relationship to the land. It is stated that it means Cattle or Wealth. From Freya Aswynn it is connected to the word “fee.” It could mean any money or currency. Its connected to Freyja. Fehu’s elements are earth and fire.

It is the First Rune in the Freyja and/or Freyr aett. I have only seen one place were it was connected to Freyr’s aett. Most agree that it is only Freyja’s aett. Since they are twins, I am not sure. I see its connection to both. The first aett represents the first steps of a journey. The journey would be in understand the physical to prepare for the next steps in the spiritual paths in the next two aetts.

Fehu is often perceived as wealth. However, it is less about wealth and more about how your life is effected by its surroundings. If you look at cattle, in the old days cattle meant if you could make it through winter.

I like this take on the rune: Magdalena. They propose that the reason its connected to Frejya is because Freyja is a love (and war) goddess. This is connected to the circulation an emotion. When you show emotions, you will also receive emotions.

I really like the Norwegian poem for this rune:
Wealth is a source of discord among kinsmen;
the wolf lives in the forest.

In a rune reading. It can mean any of the following:

Energy to get you to go to work
Potential Energy
The wolf that lurks in the forest
Luck and wealth close together
Ability
Spirits of place
Gain in work field
Money Wealth
Social Success
Personal Power
Property

Its inverse could mean:

No backing
You don’t have what takes.

My personal view: I started wearing Fehu around the 14th of the month, which helps to remind me to meditate on the rune. I feel it has been pushing me to do more. It also has a connection with personal greed. What do you need, and why do you need it. What will it take to survive. Does something hold you back? If it does stop doing that. That’s the wolf in the forest.

********

Added Notes 06-05-2018:

As I wear Fehu for the month. I have deepened my connection to Fehu. I do see the Freyja and fee. I see a little more now. The term Cattle is food. You eat the food to make it through the winter. That is the fee to survive the winter. You also dont want to show off you wealth. Imagine you were starving, they have food. This would be the wolf in the forest. If you share your food openly. You help create the bonds to make it through.

It does not mean you will make it through the winter. It means you have the tools to make it through the winter.

JoeJoesDojo

Joejoe's Dojo

Tag Archives: Runes

Old Man Finds a Wanderer: Part 2 Hella

No Huginn

Painful Friendships

Myrmidon’s True North

All of the Colors in a Story

Old Man Finds a Wanderer

Ansuz – the fourth rune

Thurisaz the Third Rune

Uruz the Second Rune

Fehu The First Rune

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